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I have a question!
Where can I get:
How much each day do I need:
I'm just too tired / lazy / bored / busy to go
through all of the above.. Can I have a short summary of everything?
What happens when I do
not take in enough calcium??
When you do not take enough calcium, your bones become weak.
As a result, you can get diseases, which are usually bone-related.
One of them is osteoporosis.
What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is when you have a low bone mass. People who have
osteoporosis have weak bones that can break easily. This means
that these people can easily get fractures, especially hip fractures.
Do you know that in Singapore, about one fifth of those who had
an osteoporotic hip fracture die and one third had to use wheelchairs
or even had to stay in bed?
This means that osteoporosis is a disease not to be taken very lightly. There
are often no symptoms for osteoporosis, except that some older people may become
shorter or hunched. Moreover, there is no cure for this disease. Hence, prevention
is very important. Even if you find out that you have osteoporosis, as long
as it is early and not too late, you can at least try to slow down the disease
and prevent a hip fracture!
Just to let you know, lack of calcium is not the only factor
is having osteoporosis. You will also have a high risk of getting osteoporosis if you:
- are female
- are over 65 years old
- have a family history of osteoporosis
- have a slender body build
- have menopause or remove your ovaries
- do not exercise regularly
- smoke
- drink too much alcohol
- use medications such as corticosteroids, certain diuretics
and blood-thinning medicines
So how can you prevent getting osteoporosis? Well, you should:
- take the recommended amount of calcium and vitamin D everyday.
- do weight-bearing exercises regularly. Weight-bearing
 exercises
are exercises whereby your bones are supporting your body weight.
They help to make your bones stronger. Examples are:
- lifting weights
- jogging
- dancing
- NOT swimming or cycling
 Avoid
smoking, drinking excessive alcohol, drinks containing caffeine
like coffee, fizzy and carbonated drinks (eg. Soft drinks).
These may increase calcium loss and/or decrease calcium absorption.- Take a Bone Mineral Density (BMD) test. X-rays cannot detect
osteoporosis until it is well advanced. The BMD test measures
how much calcium you have in your bone, and can detect osteoporosis
in its early stage.
Calcium? | Importance
of calcium | Not taking in enough calcium | Taking
in too much calcium
Lactose Intolerant?
| Importance of Vitmain D |
Taking in too much Vitamin D
| Summary
Sources of calcium
| Sources of Vitamin D
| Daily recommended amt of
calcium | Daily recommended
amt of Vitamin D
References:
(April
7, 2004). Healthcommunities.com, Inc. Kidney Stones.
[WWW document].
URL:
http://www.urologychannel.com/kidneystones/index.shtml. Date Accessed:
10/06/04
Karen
Collins. Young Again Nutrients. Vitamin D Deficiency Concerns
on the Rise [WWW document]
URL:
http://www.youngagain.com/vitamind7.html. Date Accessed: 20/06/04
Jane
Higdon (2001 to April 8, 2003). Linus Pauling Institute. Calcium.
[WWW document]
URL:
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/calcium/. Date
Accessed: 05/06/04
Osteoporosis
Society of Canada Web site. What is Osteoporosis? [WWW
document] URL:
http://www.osteoporosis.ca/english/about%20osteoporosis/default.asp?s=1.
About
Osteoporosis [WWW document] URL: http://www.osteoporosis.ca/english/About
Osteoporosis/Nutrition/Calcium%20Requirements/default.asp?s=1,
http://www.osteoporosis.ca/english/About
Osteoporosis/Nutrition/default.asp?s=1
Date
Accessed: 05/06/04. C. 2004.
Health Promotion Board. Joy of Life [WWW document] URL:
http://www.hpb.gov.sg/hpb/ere/ere05010101.asp
Strong Bones for Life [WWW document] (in pdf format)
http://www.hpb.gov.sg/pdf/strongbonesforlife_e_.pdf
Adult
Requirements [WWW document] http://www.hpb.gov.sg/hpb/adu/adu010101.asp
Child
Requirements [WWW document] http://www.hpb.gov.sg/hpb/chi/chi010101.asp
Date
Accessed: 04/06/04
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